Have You Blown Your Diet? No! - written by Cathy Wilson

Have you ever thought of your diet as a road? Roads have bends, twists, and speed bumps along the way. Diets do as well. On your weight loss road, you're going to make choices that aren't on your diet. It isn't realistic to believe you're never going to make food choices that aren't on your diet. Diets are meant to be consistent not perfect. The key is to know there are speed bumps along the way and to move full speed ahead from them.

The key to success is what you do the majority of time. Dieting and losing weight isn't shining a spotlight on a single choice, a specific day or two. It is a zoom out perspective of what you do over the period of a few days, weeks, and months. We didn't become overweight with one bad choice or even "going for it" for a few days. We've become overweight through multiple unhealthy choices over a prolonged period of time. Don't let a bad choice derail you. You don't have to wait until Monday or the following day to start again. When you make a bad choice, pick yourself up and begin again right then. You don't have to beat yourself for a bad choice but congratulate yourself for getting right back on track. Now that's reason to feel proud of yourself.

Many of us expect perfection of ourselves when it comes to our weight loss program. When we go off track, we feel disappointed and discouraged. It's your consistent eating patterns over weeks and months that matter and add up to weight loss. Those few slips-ups are merely speed bumps in the road. When you get past the speed bump of a food slip up, put your pedal t the metal and move full speed ahead to continue your weight loss success. The occasional slip-ups do not determine your weight loss success.

When you find yourself getting back on track, here are some suggested strategies to stay on track:

* Eat only fruits and vegetables for between meal snacks.

Drink 64 ounces of water or 8 glasses per day. This will help you feel less hungry and your metabolism running efficiently and at its maximum.

* Do not skip meals to make up for an earlier calorie indulgence. Skipping meals only serves to slow down your metabolism.

* Keep a food and activity record. Write down what you eating, even a taste of this or a bite of that.

* Sugar-free and fat-free choices count. These choices are not calorie-free. Make sure you're not eating excessive amounts of these types of foods and thinking they are free of calories.

* Make sure that you exercise and are active to gain that feeling of control and being back on track.

* Don't beat yourself up for choices you can't take back. Note why you made the food choices that you did and learn from them for the future. You can use these speed bumps as lessons for future choices.

The journey to weight loss success isn't determined with one choice. Zoom out in your perspective and know that your weight loss success comes in consistent healthy choices. Persistence with your weight loss plan is what is important. Look at your weight loss as a continual journey that has a few speed bumps along the way and has the most beautiful scenery that is your life. Enjoy!